New Architectural Act / May 2006

New Law Passed - Defines Buildings that Require An Architect
Effective Immediately


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August 2006

Dear Fellow AIA Members:

In an effort to keep our AIA members informed, on behalf of the AIA Oklahoma Board of Directors, we wanted to bring you up to date on our legislative efforts during the past legislative session.

As you may know, we had an exciting and challenging legislative session negotiating and getting passed a new law (Senate Bill 1991) defining what buildings in Oklahoma are required to have an architect. This legislation represents more than five years of discussions and negotiations and principally accomplishes three major goals:

During the past 12 months, a series of meetings to work on finalizing this legislation has involved representatives of the following groups and coalitions:

AIA ­American Institute of Architects
Interior Designers Coalition
OK Municipal League
OK Homebuilders Association
Commercial Industrial Developers
State Department of Central Services
County Commissioners
Board of Governors for Architects
COGs - Council of OK Governments
State Board of Professional Engineers
Association of Building Designers
United Suburban School Association
State Fire Marshal

What the major items in this bill provide:

  1. Simplifies the confusing 1948 state law as to which buildings require the services of an architect and which do not based on the appropriate building code definition and use groups.
  2. Recognizes a risk exposure for specific types of buildings based upon the building occupants and activities as the governing factor for requiring the expertise of an architect rather than the current estimated construction cost method for privately funded projects.
  3. The current $40,000 threshold requiring the services of an architect for public projects is increased to $158,000.
  4. Provides a Title Act for interior designers who meet certain criteria to recognize their training and education.

Why was SB 1991 needed?

  1. To ensure that the health, safety and welfare of all Oklahoma citizens are protected by insuring that trained professionals are designing buildings that are appropriate for their uses.
  2. To make the current architectural laws easier to understand and enforce for all who are involved.
  3. To recognize that interior designers are appropriately trained and regulated.

When is the new law effective?

Immediately! That's why it is imperative that you and members of your firm become familiar with the new requirements. To this end, the link below references a matrix developed by AIA Oklahoma for your use regarding the new language in the Oklahoma Architectural Act.

An easy-to-use matrix that will help you know when, by state law, an architect is required for a project. This matrix was developed by AIA Oklahoma based upon our understanding of the implications of the new law.

NOTE: THE LINKED MATRIX WAS DEVELOPED BY AIA OKLAHOMA AND MAY BE SUBJECT TO INTERPRETATION BY THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF LICENSED ARCHITECTS, LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS AND INTERIOR DESIGNERS AS THE RULES FOR IMPLEMENTATION ARE DEVELOPED.

We hope this will help you in making the transition from the requirements of the "old" law to the "new" mandated requirements of Senate Bill 1991.

Additionally, there will be an extensive educational session on the ramifications of this law and other new laws affecting the profession at the 2006 AIA Fall Convention, scheduled to be held in Stillwater, Oklahoma on November 2-3, 2006. More information will be sent to you regarding the convention as the date nears. Or, log on to the AIA Oklahoma website at www.aiaok.org for more details.

This legislation may not be perfect, but wečve come a long way since 1948! Thanks to many of you for your support and grassroots efforts over the many years of negotiating this legislation.

Sincerely,


Jana Phillips, AIA, President
AIIA Oklahoma
Jan Loftis, Executive Director
AIA Oklahoma